The Orioles Take Another In Oakland

The Orioles have taken the series in Oakland for the first time since 2007. (AP Photo)

The Orioles went down early but came back strong in a 7-3 win over the Oakland A's on Saturday.

Chris Tillman picked up his first victory of the season, and Jim Johnson was awarded his tenth save. Tillman (1-1) was shaky early on, needing 66 pitches to get through the first three innings but settled down after that. He allowed just two runs on seven hits and a pair of walks while fanning a season-high seven batters over six innings.

Johnson was called on in the ninth after Pedro Strop lost all command...Strop faced just two batters, hitting one while walking the other; he also threw a wild pitch. Johnson allowed a single to load the bases before inducing a shallow pop-up and a double-play ball to end the game.

With the Birds down 2-0, Nick Markakis tied the game in the fourth with a two-run bomb, his third of the year. Adam Jones followed with his fourth homer of the season to put the O's ahead, and J.J. Hardy's RBI single gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. Nate McLouth homered to lead off the eighth inning and knocked in another run in the ninth.

The Orioles have taken the series in Oakland for the first time since 2007, and have a chance to sweep the A's in four games for the first time since 1987. Miguel Gonzalez takes the hill for the Birds on Sunday.